Other Side of the Coin
by Lewen
Summary: Angel/Buffy crossover. Answering my own challenge on Unnatural Brats. *complete*
1. Default Chapter

Title: Other Side of the Coin  
  
Author: Stonewar  
  
Rating: TV-7 (assuming the TV-14 rating is based on the sexual content)  
  
Summary: Answering my own challenge. The Slayer's Brother, the Vampire's Daughter  
  
Spoilers: Early Season 7 Buffy (no SIT's), Season 3 Angel  
Disclaimer: .....I'm beginning wonder why we bother ... oh well not mine. no profit made. etc.  
Archive: my site, automatics, others please ask  
  
A/N & Acknowledgments: Just a glimpse of key scenes. For Obvious reasons there will be more Connor as Dawn than Dawn as Connor. Frankly, I like the idea of Connor more than the actual Connor.  
For source information I would cut and paste from "Psyche's Transcripts" for dialogue and skeleton narration. I didn't plagiarize, inasmuch as where there was description I wrote description, and added, "he says, she says" to where there was dialogue in script format. So if parts sound familiar, that's why. I would say this piece is 85% me (idea and new prose), 11% Original Screenwriter (dialogue), 4% Psyche (Sometimes the simple way it was described on the site was best.)  
  
The POV and voice will shift from episode to episode. Unbeta'd  
  
REAL ME  
  
Nobody knows me. Really knows me. Most people would look at my family and me and think, "I bet you are the little man of the house." Not in this house. Not when your big sister is the Slayer. All that slayer strength outranks any testosterone I may have so she is the man of the house. I guess.  
  
My life wasn't all that different from other people's before I moved to Sunnydale. For instance, my sister wasn't the center of the universe yet. I was just plain Henry Connor Summers Jr. I was 9 years old. I played little league and got dirty. I had two parents and a space cadet older sister. We went to Disneyland, Knott's Berry Farm and the beach.  
  
Then she got chosen and Mom and Dad got divorced. I'm not saying it was her fault, but…. no its her fault. Totally her fault. all right! Geez, so serious. They were already having problems. She was just the straw that broke the camel's back. KaBoom! Broken home.  
  
Now she's all 'I'm the Slayer Boo-Hoo. I'll never have a normal life.' Everything is life and death now. If I suddenly had some super powers dropped on me you can be sure I wouldn't be crying in my rice crispies. I'd kick some ass Jackie Chan style.  
  
Remember what I was saying about her being the center of the Universe? I have to be friends with her friends now. And I have to do stuff around her schedule. Ok, sometimes its cool to hang out with older people. Especially Xander, he's like my age, mentally. He taught me all these cool tricks on the Play Station and he always has the food Mom doesn't like me eating, like Twinkies and Jolt. The rest of them are girls Willow, Tara and Anya. For a while there was Cordelia, Faith and Amy too. But they're gone now.  
  
Oh yeah. Mr. Giles. He's a guy. But he doesn't count cuz he's like an old guy I once heard him use the word 'newfangled.' He's always giving me the hairy eyeball. If it weren't the fact I knew he met them all when they were just a year or so older than me I'd think he didn't like kids.  
  
None of them know the real me. They think I'm just Buffy's little (in age only) brother. Boy, are they in for a surprise.  
  
SHADOW  
  
Connor and Riley are sitting in bleachers watching UC Sunnydale play UC San Domingo Hills. Connor is picking at his tray of Nachos half-heartedly as he absently watches the game  
  
"You're congealing." Riley says breaking him out of his reverie.   
  
"Oh, um ... guess I'm not hungry." Connor sighed.  
  
"Maybe I'm not making this any better."  
  
"No, I just ... this is better." He reassured his sister's boyfriend with a sad smile. " I had my tenth birthday party here."  
  
"Really?"  
  
"Mm-hmm. We'd just moved to Sunnydale, and ... Mom was going to buy tickets for me and my friends." He pauses, clears his throat as he composes himself before finishing the story. "Except I hadn't made any friends yet, so ... it was just me and Mom and Buffy sitting by ourselves, doing a three man wave over and over and over again." His eyes focus on the coach arguing with the umpire. "She's ... she's not gonna get better, is she?"  
  
Riley leans over and gives him a manly one-armed sideways hug. "Absolutely she will. Summers women are tough.  
  
Connor smiles at the contact. "I'm really glad you're here." Deciding at that moment to be strong and take his cue from Riley in this situation from now on.  
  
DAD  
  
"I'm happy to report you have a healthy baby girl." The Doctor addresses Cordy.  
"Oh, great." She responds cheerily, " But I'm not the mother."  
"Oh, I'm sorry." He apologizes, and recovers quickly. "I'm happy to report you have a healthy baby girl." He repeats turning to Fred.  
"Oh. Me neither." Fred quickly denies.  
Wesley clears his throat and informs the doctor, to spare him further embarrassment, "I'm afraid the mother is, ah, no longer in the picture."  
The Doctor nods to cover his mistake. "I see. Well, her height and weight are in the ninety percentile. We gave her a vitamin K shot and her PKU and she's doing very well." Announces to all assembled since they all arrived together. "We don't seem to have her - what's her name?" he asked clearly at a loss as to whom to ask  
Cordy and Wes look to each other. "Was this ever discussed?" They project to one another. Not sure whether to wait for Angel or give her a name and have it changed later if he doesn't like it.  
"Dawn. Her name is Dawn." Angel announces. Thankfully he has arrived just in time to relieve them of that responsibility.  
"Dawn." The doctor repeats and makes a note on the chart. "Thank you. Mr.--" He hesitates as he consults the chart. "Angel," Now that everything was in order he has the nurse deliver the little girl into her father's care. "And congratulations."  
"Thanks."  
The Doctor and the nurse leave, as Angel smiles down at Dawn. She is his whole world at this moment. Finally he realizes was said and looks up questioning, "Hey... Mr. Angel?"  
"Your first name is Geraldo." Fred pipes up.  
"We had to tell them something." Cordy chimes in.  
"Geraldo Angel. You're a pet psychiatrist with a small practice in Pacoima. Oh, and you fight crime- we just told them the name part. The rest is me, having fun." She giggles at her little joke  
"I don't know what to say." Angel blinks. He's made mental comparisons between Fred and Willow in the past but … that was more Willow than even Willow. He doesn't think on that too long before the infant squirms in his arms bringing his full attention back to her.  
"How about thanks. I appreciate it. You guys rock. Way to go?" Cordy suggests sarcastically.  
Angel looks up from Dawn's face "What she said," He says absently.  
The double doors behind them open and Gunn comes in pushing an empty stroller. "Got the best one a very small amount of money could buy." He announces proudly. They make all the appropriate noises at this feat. Angel unsure of how to maneuver his precious bundle in to her stroller, hands her off to Cordy.  
Cordy doesn't have any more experience than he does but clearly maternal instincts have kicked into overdrive as she coos to Dawn as she straps her in the stroller. "Hey, you wanna go for a ride? Oh, goodness..."  
"Dawn. That's a lovely name." Wesley notes. " I don't suppose you ever considered Wes--"  
"It's symbolic." Angel interrupts, "A taste of what I can have when this is all over. The 'Dawn' I can watch, appreciate and love, until I can witness the real one for the first time.  
"Not to be negative or anything, but - we're okay, right?" Fred asks apprehensively, " Nobody else is coming after Dawn or us?"  
"No. We're safe for the time being. - Let's go home." He assures. " Nice stroller." He adds making a point to say so directly to Gunn  
"Thank you." Gunn smiles. Its nice to be appreciated.  
They walk out of the waiting room together, the little princess at the head of her entourage.  
CHECKPOINT  
  
Kyle cornered me at the bike rack today. Taunting me about my height. He was calling me beanstalk and stuff. My only comeback was that he would appreciate the height on the court. Now I have to try out for the team. I hate basketball. I'm not big on the team sports. I like track and wrestling. You know, the loner sports, where it's just you and your opponent. I've been shadowing Buffy when she trains sometimes. I like stand in the back, copying the forms. I'm still not that coordinated yet. I still manage to hit myself before I make contact with the bag. I've yet to figure out how I'm doing that.  
  
I took the shortcut behind the Archer's so I came in through the kitchen this afternoon. I tossed my book bag on the table and grabbed and apple from the bowl. I was halfway to the living room to watch TV when I hear a voice that reminds me of Cordelia.  
  
"Well, it's the only thing keeping you alive right now. Because you may be tiny queen in vampire world..." I see her sitting in Mom's favorite chair fiddling with the fireplace poker. "...but to me, you're a bug. You should get down on your knees and worship me!"  
  
Buffy's got this weird panic look in her eyes when she sees me walking toward them. Oh! This must be that Glory wacko. She signaling with her eyes to get out of there. I mouth 'Why?' Great now I'm getting the slayer death-look. I shrug and try to unobtrusively head toward the stairs while the headcase continues her rant.  
  
"But oh, no, you still think it's neat having Slayer strength. Ooh, big deal! Stronger than humans! Who isn't? I could crush the life from you as easy as you'd break a nail. But I need the key."  
  
I had almost made it to the stairs and was about the take a bite of my apple when Glory calls out, "Kid!"  
I freeze in my tracks and Buffy looks super panicked.  
  
"Come here a sec." Glory commands all jovial-like  
  
"Leave him out of this." Buffy grinds out.  
  
"Not asking twice," Glory sing-songs.  
  
I approach the chair again. She has yet to look at me but she knew I was here. She must have eyes in the back of her head. But how it can see through all that hair Ill never know.  
  
"This is between you and me." Buffy insists. And we have our last ditch attempt at sibling savage.  
  
"No. This is between me and my key." Glory disagrees. "You just happen to be the thing in the way."  
Glory lifts her hand over her head and snaps her fingers. I step into her view and cross my arms over my chest, trying to look all cool and intimidating like Angel.  
She gives me the once over. "Aren't you just brimming over with potential studliness. What's your name, cutie?"  
It was a compliment, but it didn't quite feel like it. "Connor."  
  
"Connor? Did you know your sister took my key, Connie? And she won't give it back! I bet you know where she put it, don't you?"  
  
"He doesn't know anything." Buffy protests.  
"I know some stuff." I do. Not about this key thing, but I happen to know Buffy doesn't know much about this key thing either. So what game are we playing? Are we bluffing, Buff? I can do that.  
"I bet she's in your stuff all the time, isn't she? Where's my key, Connor?" Oh the Wacko's trying to be my friend now. At least she isn't flirting. That would be…badness. No flirting with bad guys.  
  
"Go upstairs, Connor." Buffy orders. Hey! I could've helped. That's it!  
"You're always talking about stuff I'm not supposed to hear." Like secrets with Giles about me. Glory's interested in our exchange, but I don't care. "I'm gonna figure it out, you know." I warn her before I leave the room.  
"Ooh, I like him. He's feisty." She pauses being all dramatic. "And I'll kill him. I'll kill your mom, I'll kill your friends ... and I'll make you watch when I do." Oh listen to her sigh. I can hear it all the way in the dining room. Oh her burden is so great. "Just give me the key. You either have it or you know where to find it. Obviously, this is a onetime only deal. Next time we meet, something you love dies bloody. You know you can't take me. You know you can't stop me."  
I hear a clang and then the door open and close. Then there is a noise on the stairs.  
"Buffy, who was that?" Mom was here the whole time?!  
"Pack a bag." Buffy urges. Yeah pack a bag, Mom. I heard that threat. We need to get you out of here.  
--  
A Crypt! That's real safe and comfy. Buffy, what are you thinking? Mom is not well remember. Buffy slips in, careful not open the door to wide. And what's with the crypt anyway. I thought vampires hoarded treasure like dragons. At least they always do in books.  
I push the door open and hold it for Mom. A beam of sunlight crosses Spikes face. He gives great girlie scream and rolls out of the way of the light until I close the door behind us. Ok, that alone and made the trip worth it.  
"Oh, it's the Slayer. For a second there I was worried." He starts to rub his eyes sleepily and notices us for the first time. "Oi, what's with the family outing?"  
Buffy and Spike argue quietly for a couple minutes until he backs down. He hops of his concrete bed and heads over to us. Spike is giving her this pointed 'you owe me look' but then he's all nicey-nice.  
"All right then. Folks... Come on in. There's plenty of blood in the fridge."  
"Do you mean like, real blood?" I ask disgusted.  
"What do you think?" Oh, Is that a dare, peroxide?  
"Not to my taste, thank you." I say trying out my own version of the Buffy death-glare.  
Can I just say again. I don't want to be here. If Riley couldn't hack it, what kind of help is Spike going to be? But I promised Buffy I'd help Spike take care of Mom. He gets the Demons. I get the people because of the chip.  
Buffy pulls Mom aside. "Keep Connor here as long as you can. I'll be back soon." She says this like I'm some imbecile who'll wander off chasing butterflies. Cut me some slack, tiny vampire queen. Heh, the only good thing I got from our convo with Glory. I got to remember to use that out loud sometime.  
"Spike, I don't think I need to remind you, but-"  
"Yeah, yeah, 'anything happens to 'em I'll stake you good and proper.' Sing me a new one sometime, eh? That bit's gone stale."  
She gives him one more threatening look before leaving us all standing there looking at each other. Okay. Now what?  
" I, I love what you've, um, neglected to do with the place." Subtle. Nice one, Mom.  
" Just don't break anything." He orders and goes turn on the TV "And don't make a lot of noise. Passions is coming on."  
"Passions? Oh, do you think Timmy's really dead?"  
" Oh! No, no, she can just sew him back together. He's a doll, for god's sake."  
" Uh, what about the wedding? I mean, there's no way they're gonna go through with that.  
Its nice he's being all gentlemanly and all but ….GUH! Soap Operas. Great that's manly. Maybe he's got weapons behind the thing he was sleeping on.  
  
SLEEP TIGHT  
Justine in Wesley's car pulls up to the curb as Holtz steps out of the shadows.  
"It went well?" He inquires confident that there is no other way it will end.  
"Very well." She responds. "But you're paying for my dental work."  
Holtz gives a small deep-throated chuckle before turning to the wide-eyed infant strapped in her car seat behind Justine.  
"Hello, sweetheart. I'm you're father. And that strong lady with the black eye is your mother. Your name is Sarah Mary Elizabeth. And you're going to grow up with me on a little ranch in the middle of nowhere." He pauses and turns back to Justine. "What's it like in Utah?"  
"It's pretty."  
"Let's go."  
  



	2. part 2

THE BODY  
Connor enters his Art class with his friend Jeff, a little gun-shy from a confrontation with his 'nemesis' Kyle in the locker room. Out of the corner of his eye he sees Kyle already in seated in the front row. The only empty seats are next to Kara whom he as been trying to work up the nerve to talk to all week.  
Raising her voice to be heard the teacher instructs, "Okay. Remember, we're not drawing the object. We're drawing the negative space around the object." She steps aside and reveals the model, which is a 2- or 3-foot high marble nude.  
Connor and Jeff go to the back and take easels on either side of Kara. Connor looks nervously at her as he picks up the charcoal. The other students begin to draw as the teacher's voice continues. "And then give me a sense of the spaces around ... the space in-between."  
  
"Hey," Kara greets, her eyes not leaving her sketch.  
"Oh. Hey Kara." Connor returns trying to sound nonchalant.  
" What's goin' on?"  
  
" Um, negative space."  
  
"Whatever happened to accentuate the positive?" She quips.  
"And don't mess with Mr. In-between." He finishes lamely.  
  
Kara looks at his paper, "That's pretty good."  
  
Connor smiles, "Thanks."  
Behind Kara, Jeff holds up his pad of paper, on which he has scrawled "GO DOG!" Connor gives his friend a scolding look, and then turns back to his drawing.  
"So I heard you, like, had a freak-out and cut yourself."  
  
Connor panics, "Uh, no, not even. It was a whole ... it was so not..."  
" I've felt like that before." She reassures smoothly. "Things get so crazed, you know, you just feel like you wanna do something ... extreme."  
"Yeah. I just ... I had a lot of intense stuff going on."  
Kara smiles, returns to her drawing. "A lot of people don't understand that. Pain."  
  
"Yeah," Connor smiles. Behind him Buffy enters the hallway, looking at Connor through the window.  
--  
Kara and Connor are quietly flirting in the last row of the classroom when Buffy approaches the teacher. "There's been a family emergency. I need to take Connor out of class." The teacher nods her permission so Buffy slowly makes her way up the aisle.  
"He looks so happy." She thinks, "I really don't want to be the one to ruin that."  
"Connor," She says softly, but he doesn't hear her at first. "I have to talk to you."  
Connor looks up, apprehensive. "Um… Can it wait? I'm in the middle of a class."  
"I know. Please come with me."  
His eyes stay riveted to her back as she leaves the room. He puts down his charcoal and follows.   
"I thought Mom was picking me up," He says conversationally as he closes the classroom door behind him. Buffy remains silent as she leads them down the hall. " What's going on? Something's going on." He protests refusing to take another step.  
" Let's go outside." She requests while internally begging, "No, not here. You don't want to do this here."  
"No. Tell me what's going on." He demands.  
"It's ... bad ... news." She answers haltingly.  
Connor stiffens with fear and crosses his arms anxiously over his chest. "Well, what is it? What happened?"  
"It's bad. Please, can we-"  
The Suspense is killing him and he can sense the audience forming in the window behind him. Raising his voice he asks, "Where's Mom?"  
Buffy starts to loose her brave facade. "Mom ... had an accident. Or, um.."she stutters as the tears start to pool in her eyes. "...something went ... wrong from the tumor."  
Suddenly nervous he interrupts and steps toward her. " Is she okay? Is she ... but she's okay? But ... it's, it's serious, but..."  
Buffy's tears are flowing freely now. She shakes her head and reaches for him. "Connor."  
Shaking with emotion, "No." he whispers as he shies from her touch  
Finally he breaks, "No, it's not true! No, you're a liar, she's fine!" he shouts. Connor punches a nearby locker and cries out in pain. Buffy gently takes his injured hand in hers, trying to comfort Connor as their silent observers look on. Even Kyle has nothing derogatory to say about the emotional scene. At least Connor will have that small respite today.  
***  
BARGAINING  
  
"So my homeroom teacher, Ms. Lefcort, was like, 'Your sister's an example to us all.' She wanted to make it National Buffy Day."  
  
He sets his glass on the coffee-table and sits on the floor across from Spike. He considers taking another slice of pizza, but he's more bored than hungry. He just picks at the toppings eating the odd string of cheese or mushroom.  
  
"Makes sense." Spike sighs looking at the TV without actually watching it.  
  
" It does?"  
  
"Yeah, she responded to BuffyBot because a robot is predictable. Boring. Perfect teacher's pet. That's all schools are, you know. Just factories, spewing out mindless little automatons." He looks at Connor and sees the sly grin forming on his lips and quickly back pedals. "Who go on to be ... very ... valuable and productive members of society, and you should go. Because Buffy would want you to.  
  
Connor's face is somber again. "Check. One mindless automaton."  
  
They sit in the awkward silence sipping on the nearest soda. They both make a face realizing that had each grabbed the other's drink and traded glasses.  
  
"Uck, Grape. So, uh, what do you fancy, my young pup, uh, game of rummy?" Spike suggests as he gets up from the couch.  
  
"Well, Willow and Tara said they'd be back early." He leans to the side to see what Spike is doing at the side table. "You don't really have to hang. I mean, if you're bored."  
  
Spike turns to face him and raises and eyebrow knowingly, "I'm not, and yeah, I do."  
  
Spike found a pack of cards he was looking for in the drawer and sat down opposite Connor again.  
  
"But I'm fine alone. You all left me alone last night. And look, still breathing."  
  
"You weren't alone. You were at Jeff's." Spike pointed out. He sometimes liked to act put out about spending time with Connor, but he quite enjoyed it. It's nice being idolized and he doesn't resemble Buffy in the slightest. So he can be with the part of her that survived with out it hurting too much. 'Though why Connor chose 'the big bad' to idolize is beyond me.' He thinks to himself. 'Perhaps the Watcher or the Whelp…wait just answered my own question.' He is shook out of his reverie by Connor's cajoling.  
  
"No one's coming after me. I'm not the key. Or if I am, I don't open anything any more. It's over. Remember?"  
  
"I'm not leaving you here by yourself, so forget it."   
  
"Well, I could've invited a girl over and you wouldn't want to cramp my style, right, Spike?"  
  
Spike eyes rivet into him, daring him to lie "Do you have a girl coming over?"  
  
"No," Connor admits reluctantly. "But the possibility still exists." He insists.  
  
Spike smirks and begins to shuffle the cards. "Of course it exists, You're a good looking bloke. Almost as handsome as me even. But the fact remains you haven't been that sociable, so when would you have meet this girl."  
  
"I'm old enough to be alone. In fact, I'm more than old enough to be the baby-sitter and not the baby-sat. It's not like I'm begging to go on patrol anymore."  
  
Just the thought of Connor out there fighting and possibly dying upsets him. He slaps the deck on the table in front of him, his jaw clenched. "No. I'm not leaving you ... to get hurt. Not again."  
  
Stalemate.  
  
"Now deal."  
--  
The trademark roar of several Harley Davidson Motorcycles startles Spike from his near-doze on the couch. He looks down at Connor asleep on the couch next to him and mutes the television. The engine rumbles grows louder followed by screeching tires and crashing noises. Spike pulls back the curtain and looks out the window. He takes a deep breath as he sees demons on hogs tearing up the neighborhood.  
The noise has woken Connor, "What's going on?" he yawns.  
"Stay away from the window." Spike whispers as he stops Connor from sitting up.  
He walks into the foyer and Connor follows.  
" What is it, what's happening?"  
Without looking back spike responds, "Just do as I say." He checks to make sure the front door is locked. "I'm going to check the rest of the house."  
"Don't move!" Spike calls from another room.  
Connor stands still where he was placed, looking around nervously. He jumps startled when one crash sounded particularly close.  
In the other room Spike goes through Buffy's weapon chest. "...holy water, one cross - Ow!" he exclaims in pain. Stepping back he shakes his hand to relieve the pain. "Brilliant." He admonishes himself  
He looks at his injured hand, then over at the window, notices Connor peeking out through the curtains.  
"Here!" He scolds as he strides to the window, dragging Connor away. "You want me to bloody thump you? I told you to stay away from the window."  
  
"Who are they?"  
  
Spike looks out the window again checking the progress of the destruction outside. "Hellions. Road pirates. They raid towns ... use 'em up, burn 'em down. It's usually backwaters, any place..." he pauses as he makes a realization. "Any place they think is vulnerable."  
"They know the Slayer's gone." Connor comments coming to the same realization as Spike.  
Spike looks back out the window. The demons continue to ride up and down the street, setting fires and breaking windows. "We can't stay here." Spike decides and pulls Connor away from the window again.  
  
"Can we take 'em?" Connor asks following Spike to the foyer.  
  
"Not unless I can help it, pup. I can't protect you here." He answers heading for the door.  
  
"We've got weapons and the other's will be back soon" Connor argues.  
"And what, barracade ourselves under the stairs? Not really my style."  
"But we can't let them tear up the town."   
Spike sighs in frustration, grabs Connor roughly by the shoulders and looks him square in the eye. "Connor, I get that you want to help. But I'm your sitter, so mind me. I'm not gonna let any of those buggers lay so much as a warty digit on you. Right?"  
  
" Right. But-"  
  
"Right, then. We can't wait around to see if the others will pop in. We're on our own. No one's coming to our rescue. We need to concentrate on us not the bleedin' town." He grasps the front of Connors shirt and leads him toward the back door.  
They run along the side of the house crouching behind some bushes. Connor strains to look over Spikes shoulder at the mayhem and sees demons breaking windows and knocking over mailboxes.  
"Get back." Spike warns, shoving Connor head away from his shoulder.  
"I-it looks like they're just ... wrecking stuff." Connor comments some what relieved until he hears a woman scream. "Are they bothering the people too?"  
Spike doesn't comment while he continues to watch the mayhem. Connor notices he is grinning "What?"  
"Uh, oh, nothing, just, uh ..." nodding toward the action, "looked like fun." Connor raises an eyebrow, "I'm just sayin'."  
"I get it." He smiles.  
"Yeah, it's just ... " He scans the area, "With this kind of frolicking going on all around town, we're not gonna get very far without-" He pauses as he gets an idea.  
He gestures for Connor to stay put and darts for a pile of sports equipment in the next yard. He tosses the football helmet to Connor and takes the baseball bat for himself. He strides to the middle of the street purposefully. He stands motionless and stares down an oncoming demon like a toreador challenging a bull.   
The Demon, always up for a good game of chicken, picks up speed aiming for Spike. At the last moment Spike takes up a batters stance, swings and breaks the bat of in the Demons face. The motorcycle, now riderless continues a few feet then falls to the ground. Spike throws down the broken bat at the comatose demon in satisfaction and retrieves the bike.  
"Let's fly, pup!" He calls to Connor.  
Connor puts on his helmet and jumps on the bike behind Spike. They go roaring down the street leaving the looting demons behind them. They hope.  
  
A NEW WORLD  
  
The air crackles with static lightning and a large, horned monster drops to the ground, followed almost immediately by a teenaged girl. The girl slices the demon's head off in a fluid arc and its decapitated body dissolves into nothingness. Angel stands mesmerized, staring as the girl aims a three-chambered, wrist-mounted stake-launcher at him.  
She smirks and says "Hi, Daddy."  
Gunn runs across the lobby toward the weapons. Groo moves to the side to get a clear shot at the intruder with his ax. Angel turns towards them, holding out a hand. "Wait!"  
She launches two stakes at Angel in quick succession as Angel turns back to face her.  
"No!" Angel shouts  
Angel turns as the stakes travel through the air, aimed at his heart. The first one almost lodges in his shoulder, but he turns with it and bats the second one aside. As Angel defends himself, Groo flings his ax at the girl, who deflects it, mirroring Angel's motion.  
Angel and the girl straighten back up and resume their former positions staring at each other.  
"My god. - It's you. - Dawn." Angel gasps part in disbelief and part happiness.  
Cordelia notes to herself that she looks like little Miss Robinson Crusoe in her rough clothing made of animal hides and dirty face. While Fred is reminded of the illustrations of Ramona Quimby, Age 8 since the girl is all arms and legs and her hair is roughly cut into a pageboy. In Gunn's mind, she looks like St. Joan from the movies. Groo thinks, "hmmm, tiny cow warrior."  



	3. part 3

  
BENEDICTION  
Dawn opens the door of room 204 with her arms loaded with junk food from the vending machine and a newspaper. She is momentarily worried that the room appears empty, but then she hears noises in thebathroom.  
  
"I found food in a big metal box outside. - Dad?" She calls. She is relieved when he finally emerges from the other room.  
"Oh, good girl. You got it." Holtz praises, taking the newspaper from the under the pile of food she has dumped on the bed.  
"Now. Let's have a look at the date."  
He stares at the paper then drops down on the end of one of the beds. "Days. We've been gone only days."  
His comments mean nothing to her. This world and how its time passes have no consequence other than the location of her mission. "I don't like this place. So many people. It's not like home."  
Holtz eyes her sternly, "Quor-toth was never our home, Sarah. It was our prison. I should have known that one day *you'd* find a way out."  
She shrugs. "The cracks were there already. I just made the sluks show me. That's all."  
Holtz gets up, "Frightened rats, forced to flee to daylight. My girl's smart." He pats her cheek in praise. She leans in for more contact but none is forthcoming. She sighs in disappointment as he shuffles painfully to the table and chairs  
"You shouldn't have followed me here." She admonished, concerned for his health  
"How could I not?" He says as he lowers himself in a chair.  
Sarah crosses to him and crouches down in front of him, putting a hand on Holtz' knee. "I would have come back to you, after I killed him." She quickly stands and turns away from what she is sure is his disappointment. "I'm sorry I couldn't."  
"Of course you couldn't. It's not in you, Sarah." Holtz dismisses lightly.  
"I've killed lots!" Dawn protests as she turns back to him insulted.  
"Only when you had to, only to survive. And that's not the real reason why you worked so hard to get here. You wanted to see him."  
"No." She denies.  
"It's alright, my dear. There is no shame in it. I knew this day would come. That's why I never lied to you. I've always told you the truth about what you're parents were." He reaches his hand out to her. "How you and I came to be together."  
Dawn takes his and lightly sits on his knee, careful not to put too much of her weight on his frail form. "God gave me to you."  
"Yes. God delivered me to you, that I'd keep you safe and lavish upon you all the love that I could never give my first children."  
Dawn looks deep into her father's eyes repeating the oft-told tale of her childhood. "Because he took them from you."  
"That's right." Holtz nods as he brushes her hair away from her face.  
Dawn looks away in shame. "I wish I *had* killed him." She scolds herself.  
"If you had, then you wouldn't be the girl I raised, or the woman I know you'll be one day. There's more for you to learn, Sarah, much more. Maybe you'll surpass the slayers one day."  
She slides from his lap and kneels in front of him. "And I want to."  
"Good." He nods. "Then you must go to him." He stands up and walks away from her. Leaving her still kneeling on the floor.  
"What?" She asks aghast.   
"Walk in his world, learn all you can. Discover what of him is in you that you might fight against it." He grasps her chin forcing her to look up at him. "But be on your guard." He warns, "Remember what I've taught you. The devil will show you bright things, many colors."  
--  
  
After the invigorating fight in the Club, Dawn follows the stragglers into the alley. Angel has followed and takes care of one about to take advantage of her attention being focused on his comrades. Once they are dust she senses his presence behind her waiting silently. She faces him warily.  
"They don't need to breathe or make any sound. You gotta be careful. - You know you were - you were good in there." Dawn looks up at Angel warily. "I mean, normally I'd take you a mall, or a museum, or - something. But it's - it's good to know that you can handle yourself in a fight."  
Angel feigns a punch at Dawn. She jumps back, then smiles. Angel's breath is taken away. Its Darla's smile minus the guile. He clears his throat to cover his reaction. "It's good to know you can do that, too."  
Dawn fakes an elbow to the gut, which Angel dodges smiling: "Woah."  
Laughing the two of them dancing around each other, throwing fake punches, jumping up on the trash cans and dumpsters sitting along the wall of the alley, horsing around. When they stop Angel throws an arm around her shoulders and pulls her close as he leads her out of the alley. She leans into him missing the time when her father was taller than her and made her safe just because his arms were around her.  
From above, on the fire escape Holtz watches them unnoticed.  
--  
"Stop saying that!" Dawn screams covering her ears to prevent hearing anymore.  
Holtz is reaches across the table and pull her hands from her head, cradling them in his own.  
"It is true, Sarah."  
"You're wrong!"  
"I'm not wrong. Anyone who saw you together would realize - that's where you're meant to be - at his side."  
"No!"  
"It was your need for him that drove you across the dimension."  
"I don't need him! I need to be with you!"  
"Go back to him."  
--  
Angel crosses to Dawn sitting on the steps to the courtyard. "Hey, kid. How 're you doing?"  
"I might have tried to kill your friend." She says faintly, still feeling oddly light after her encounter with Cordelia.  
Surprised that she sounds so lost. Angel dismisses her concern. "Yeah, well - she's used to it."  
"I think I should go." 'But where?' She thinks, 'Father wants me here and nothing makes sense in this world.'  
Angel sits down on the step below her. "Look - why don't you just - stay here? - I know it doesn't feel like it yet - but this could be home for you."  
Dawn, staring straight in front of her focusing on nothing, mumbles. "I don't have a home."  
"That's not true." Angel corrects. "You just don't remember, that's all. - Your home is here. This is where you're supposed to be."  
"You speak as though you're my father."  
Angel, smiling slightly, "Well..."  
"He said the same thing." Angel's smile melts away realizing she actually meant, ' You sound just like my father,'  
" He said we came back for a reason."  
"Did he?" Angel questions, wondering what Holtz plans are for this girl and him.  
  
ALL THE WAY  
"You're leaving?" Buffy asked. "But we're celebrating. Wishing joy on the happy couple and all that."  
  
"Yeah, and I've done that." He insists as he shrugs on his jacket. "I've got plans. It's still Halloween, you know."  
  
"Remind me what those plans were again?"  
  
"Meet the guys, Hit Kirstie's party, hang out, then crash at Jeff's."  
  
"And his parents will be home?"  
  
"Yes," Connor huffs. "They're having a party too. So they'll be home all night."  
  
"OK." She crosses to him and fusses with his Jacket making sure its zipped. "Do you have--?"  
  
"Yes!" he exclaims and brushes off her hands. "Night." He calls as he disappears out the door.  
  
--   
  
"Connor!" someone shout behind him. He turns and it's his friend Jeff. He stops and waits for him to catch up. "So are you good for the night?" He asks.  
  
"I told my sister I was crashing at your place tonight." Connor nods as they start to walk again.  
  
"Cool, keeping it simple, technically the truth. The folks'll pass out after their party and never know when we get in." Jeff grins and high fives Connor.  
  
"So… Who are we meeting?" Connor asked. Jeff talked all day about big plans tonight but was really vague on the details.  
  
"Sam Crick, you know from Spanish, he and a couple other guys are meeting up at the QT."  
  
Connor frowns. "We're hanging out in front of a convenience store? What are we, Jay and Silent Bob now?"  
  
--  
  
"Hey, Haskell, Summers." Sam Crick greets with a nod as the meet up in the parking lot of the QT. He is standing with three other guys. One is wearing a Sunnydale letterman jacket. Sam addresses him. "That's everybody, Craig."  
  
The guy in the letterman jacket shrugs. "Six is a good number." He starts to walk down the street confident the others will follow and they do.  
  
After nearly a block of silence, Craig, the guy in the jacket faces them as he walks backwards. "Connor Summers, right? I've seen you around. Haskell? Doesn't ring a bell."  
  
Jeff jumps in. "We had Consumer Economics last semester. I was paired with Julia Klemper."  
  
"Oh yeah that class we did taste tests, surveys and shit." He nods as he turns to face forward.  
  
"So," Connor addresses the other two that haven't been introduced. "What's your story?"  
  
"Mike Dikkers, Pack-Mule." The shorter one with the glasses introduces himself as he gestures to the full book bag on his back.  
  
The third guy pulls Mike into a headlock as they continued to walk. "Mikey has been generous enough to provide the traditional Halloween accruements."  
  
"Such as?" Jeff asks.  
  
"Oh, you know." Mike straightens his clothes now that the other guy released him and went to join Craig at the front of the group. "Eggs, toilet paper, soap."  
  
"And this cool stuff the Chemistry sub showed us how to mix-up," Sam added.  
  
"No acid I hope. I'm totally into have my flesh attached to my bones these days." Connor joked.  
  
"Nah, its just cornstarch, water and red food coloring." Mike assured.  
  
"What does it do?"  
  
"Well it's the consistency of wet sand, so you pack it into a ball like a snowball. Then you throw it a windows." Mike explains.  
  
"What? And it sticks there like wet toilet paper?"  
  
"No, that's the cool part." Sam inserts excitedly. "It drips slowly once it hits a surface. Its totally gross!"  
  
"Ok toddlers, we're taking a collection." Craig stops the group on the corner. "Pete knows somebody who can buy for us." He nods to previously unnamed sixth member of the group.  
  
They all dig into their pockets and hand him a weird mixture of crisp bills and wads of green barely recognizable as currency. Craig counts through the collected cash then hands it to Pete. "That should be enough for a twelve pack, a bottle of Jack and a little something for your guy."  
  
They wait on the corner diagonal from the liquor store. Pete jogs across the street and stops a guy coming out of an alley. They can see him gesturing to the store and hand the guy part of the money. While they wait Sam pulls out a pack of cigarettes and offers to everyone. Connor shakes his head absently while keeping his eye on Pete across the way. Mike pleads asthma, but Jeff and Craig accept his offering and light up.  
  
Finally the guy emerges from the store. He and Pete exchange the last of the money for the beer and whiskey and give each other a manly back-thumping hug in farewell.  
  
Pete joins the group again grinning at his success. He lifts the paper bag and gives it a shake for his audience. "Let's go party. I know just the place." He announces and leads them down the street.  
  
Connor looks back at their buyer who is walking in the opposite direction counting his money when a familiar head of white hair comes around the corner and blocks his path. Spike! Connor hunches shoulders and pulls the collar of his jacket up to disguise himself. Still watching the buyer and Spike as he walks behind his group, he sees Spike grab the money from the other guys hand and plunge a stake in his heart.  
  
Connor stopped dead in his tracks. The buyer was a Vampire! Spike lifts the wad of bills to nose then looks to where the vampire had just come. Busted! Connor runs to catch up the guys insinuating himself in the middle, accidentally jostling Craig.  
  
"Summers! What's your deal?" Craig hisses giving him a shove.  
  
"Sister's boyfriend." He adlibbed, not knowing how to describe Spike to these guys. "Five o'clock."  
  
Craig looks over his shoulder and spots Spike. "Did he spot you?"  
  
Not wanting to say 'he can smell me,' He lied, "He looked in my direction, but I can't be sure."  
  
"But will he squeal?" Craig asked.  
  
Connor considers a moment. "You never know, He runs hot and cold." He shrugged.  
  
Craig considers the situation and decides they aren't putting enough distance between themselves and a potential parental unit fast enough. So, he turns to walk backward in front of the group. "We may have been spotted. Let's pick up the pace before the party ends too soon." He announces to the other four before turning and running. Pete shrugs their package a little more securely under his arm and follows suit trailed by the other guys.  
  
--  
  
Spike approaches the Summers' house and notices the Music is a little louder than usual. He observes Willow and Anya dancing while Tara and Giles look on with drinks in their hand through the picture window. As he makes his way up the walk, he sees Buffy and Xander chatting on the front steps.  
  
"What's going on here then?" He inquires as he takes a final drag from his cigarette before dropping it to the concrete and grinding it out either toe of his boot.  
  
"We are wishing Xander and Anya happy." Buffy answers happily.  
  
"On what? Their 10,000th orgasm?" He countered.  
  
Buffy bites her lip to keep from laughing while Xander angrily defends. "No, our engagement!"  
  
"Tying the knot huh? I give it a year." Spike dismisses before turning to Buffy. "The pup in?"  
  
"No, he went out."  
  
"You let him go out alone?"  
  
"Well, it is Halloween. Demon's night in. I though we could risk it."  
  
"Yeah only 1 out 3 Halloweens are disasters. We aren't due for a bad one 'til next year." Xander jokes.  
  
"I have feeling we might get the bad one a year early." Spike mutters.  
  
"Why do you say that, Snow-on-top?"  
  
Spike gives Xander a withering look before ignoring him totally while he addresses Buffy. "It might be nothing, but I took some money of a Vamp near the liquor store before I staked him. Some it smelled of Connor."  
  
"So, you have an overactive sniffer." Xander taunts.  
  
"Or Connor isn't going to that girl's party, but planning to throw one of his own," Buffy concludes  
  
Spike finishes his thought for her. "Out in Breaker's woods more than likely. That's where the kids hang out."  
  
She scrabbles up off the steps and run into the house yelling, "Giles!"  
  
--   
LESSONS  
  
"Connor! Xander's here.  
  
"Just a minute," Called a voice that's a little deeper than this time last year.  
  
"You're gonna be late." Buffy warned up the stairs.  
  
"Here's hoping," Connor mutters as he slowly thumps down the stairs in heavy Doc Martens.  
  
"Go eat. I made cereal." She tells him, giving him a shove toward the kitchen.  
  
"How exactly do you *make* cereal?" Xander asks as lets himself in the front door.  
  
"Ah. You put the box near the milk. I saw it on the Food Channel."  
  
"Isn't that Spike's--?" Xander trailed off as his eyes follows Connor.  
  
"Yeah. When we came back that morning he found it upstairs in the hall. He's taken to strutting around in that sometimes when I took him on patrol this summer."  
  
"Isn't that coat awfully hot?" He asked as he pulls out the blueprints he brought.  
  
Buffy rolled her eyes. "Don't get me started. I'm almost wishing Spike would come back and take my 'little bad' down a notch or two."  
  
***  
END  
  
Author's end notes:  
  
Tiny cow warrior. I have no idea where that came from. I looked up and it was there. It made me giggle every time I proofread. I kept getting an image of the Cow Flinger cow dressed as Xena  
  
And for the record my niece is named Lane Wesley. So it can be a girl's name. (And she's not even named after anybody either)  
  
Dammit! My 'All the way' turned into one of Joss' dangers of alcohol stories didn't it? Completely unintentional I assure you, I was just trying to come up with a rebellion that was the boy equivalent of Dawn's parking with strange boys.  
  
And the cornstarch thing…really happened. We had a totally lazy 22-year-old chick teaching Chemistry (not a sub, actual full time teacher she rarely made it to first period on Mondays due to partying all weekend. Only lasted a year). At Halloween, she snuck into the empty Home Ec classroom next door and stole Corn Starch and red food coloring. There were only four of us in class (tiny rural school) We mixed up a batch and flung it at the black board all period. Best class ever. Ask me about fishing for Kindergarteners.  



End file.
